A Biblical and common sense refute to Gregg Cunningham’s “Killing George Tiller”

Dan Holman - Missionaries to the Pre-Born, Iowa

Gregg Cunningham leads a chorus of pro-life voices that publicly condemn Scott Roeder for the act of killing George Tiller.

Mr. Cunningham does a good work by displaying photos aborticide. He does it on a large scale and I believe his motives for doing it are pure. We do similar ministry in a similar manner; our paths often cross at the same campuses and events. We have been doing it much longer than Mr. Cunningham. We are well aware of the benefits of displaying the photos. It saves lives by changing people’s minds. But one thing it also does which Mr. Cunningham fails to mention, is it hardens people’s hearts. We have been displaying the bloody truth since the 1980’s in hundreds of cities both here and abroad. We are no closer to ending child sacrifice today than we were in 1973. Mr. Cunningham insists that showing the bloody photos is the only way to end child sacrifice. Though I view this as important, the displays in themselves are not going to outlaw aborticide. Having public displays for 10 or more years Mr. Cunningham should also realize this.

Mr. Cunningham admits that abortion is murder, and likens aborticide to the Nazi Holocaust and the lynching of blacks. Aborticide is arguably more evil. I believe that God hates some sins more than others. In Deuteronomy 12:31 God explains to Israel why he is driving out the Canaanites. He warns them:

“You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practice for their gods every detestable thing the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods…”

37 years of failed pro-life policies, incremental strategies, and convoluted rhetoric brings us no closer to outlawing aborticide. The pro-life movement whom Mr. Cunningham defends opposes outlawing abortion! National Right to Life (NRTL) and its affiliates oppose the personhood initiatives in several states. They cite wrong wording, wrong leadership, and wrong timing for their reasons. Outlawing abortion is not on NRTL’s agenda.

Mr. Cunningham is on the pro-life fringe, a NRTL wannabe. Because of his abortion displays he is excluded from NRTL. NRTL hates abortion displays.

But as much as Mr. Cunningham hates baby-murder, he does not hate it enough. His singular doubtful strategy for ending abortion relies entirely upon him. He is so exclusive and protective of his photographs that he refuses to let others use them who disagree with his passivism! He procured many of these photos by paying an abortionist to photograph them. Cunningham sues those who use his copyrighted photos, but do not renounce the use of force toward abortion providers and their facilities. It does not matter to him if the photos are used to save lives; Mr. Cunningham is much more interested in HIS REPTUATION and the reputation of the “pro-life movement.” Mr. Cunningham’s greatest disdain is reserved for those who disagree with his pacifism.

Let us get to the meat of Mr. Cunningham’s arguments. He begins with the false presupposition that Mr. Scott Roeder “murdered” George Tiller. There is no argument that Mr. Roeder shot and killed George Tiller. It is reported that he shot him in the head. Where the fatal bullet entered his anatomy is as unimportant as to where the shooting took place. It makes no difference that it took place in a “house of worship” and that Tiller was “an usher.” Putting a cross on a building does not make it a church. There are NO Christian baby-killers (Revelations 21:8). If abortion is murder than Tiller is a murderer, his so-called “church” consists of collaborators, and accomplices to murder. Tiller was ushering them and himself into hell.

Mr. Cunningham argues that if Tiller deserved to die, than so do abortion workers and murdering moms! Mr. Cunningham understates his case. Almost our entire nation participates in the slaughter of these innocents. Politicians, judges, police, voters, pastors, you, me by commission, or omission, are besmirched with their blood. ALL of us are more or less are deserving of death. If we pay taxes we pay for abortion. If we voted for George Bush or Barak Obama we voted for baby-murder. If we do nothing, we still partake in the killing, as surely as those who recently stood by and did nothing as a screaming woman was being gang raped.

Here is where Mr. Cunningham’s case goes bad. He presumes Mr. Roeder exacted vengeance on George Tiller for the 60,000 babies he has killed. I do not believe vengeance was Mr. Roeder’s primary motive. I believe Mr. Roeder killed George Tiller to prevent him from killing again. Tiller was killed on a Sunday, Monday he was scheduled to kill. Mr. Roeder was acting defensively for Monday’s children. Mr. Roeder did not “murder” George Tiller; Mr. Roeder committed “justifiable homicide.” He was acting in defense of others.

If George Tiller was retired from his grizzly practice than Mr. Roeder would have murdered George Tiller. An individual has no authority to exact vengeance. Vengeance is the sole god-given jurisdiction of civil government. Even when civil government is remiss in administering justice, a citizen has no right to carry out vengeance. Vengeance must be left to God (Romans 12:19 & 13:4).

Defensive action might be carried out by anyone. All of us are duty bound to protect the weak, the innocent, and the helpless. It is our Christian duty to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and to rescue those who are unjustly being led to the slaughter (Matthew 25:31-46; Proverbs 24:9-10).

George Tiller was an active serial killer, operating under a color of law. He killed, and he was going to kill again. If we were in a position to stop the killing of a classroom of children and we were too fearful or indifferent to act, we should be blamed along with the assassin for the children’s deaths. It matters not that it is “legal.” It matters not that the parents hired the assassin; it makes no difference if the school and government officials condone their deaths. If abortion is murder we should act as it were murder!

Mr. Cunningham contends that a Justifiable Homicide defense is not feasible because abortion is legal. While abortion is legal it does not negate a justifiable homicide defense. It is up to a jury to decide. Just because the courts are undecided about the humanity of the pre-born does not mean that a jury cannot figure it out.

Mr. Cunningham complains that Mr. Roeder made Tiller “into a sympathetic victim if not a martyr.”

“A sympathetic victim” to whom Mr. Cunningham? Surely not to the babies! The babies are martyred 4000/day, where is the sympathy for them? The shooting of Tiller makes other abortionists nervous. I have met abortionists who have quit at the urging of their families because of the shooting of abortion doctors. Many more, I suppose, have rejected this black art because of its “occupational hazards.” Perhaps it is not so “safe and legal” after all!

Mr. Cunningham blames Mr. Roeder for the abortions presently performed by unlicensed medical personnel. Mr. Cunningham should know that this phenomenon was occurring long before the shooting of George Tiller. Abortionists are in short supply. Tiller specialized in killing late term babies. His death camp closed the week of his death. The smokestack of his baby-burning incinerator is still and cold.

Mr. Cunningham sees the shooting of Tiller as bad for the pro-life movement. Mr. Cunningham is hopeful that we can win in the courts and the legislatures if only we can prove ourselves non-violent and loving.

Was not the timely demise of George Tiller good for Monday’s babies Mr. Cunningham? Why should we care about the pro-life movement? Legislators care about votes. The courts are openly hostile toward the babies. For 37 years we have been too nice while 50 million Americans are butchered. Try being “nice” strategy in Afghanistan on Osama bin Laden. Osama loves American abortions. Osama killed his thousands, but Tiller his tens of thousands of Americans. All the people they killed were nice people.

Mr. Cunningham further contends that the killing of George Tiller did not prevent the killing of Monday’s child. He writes “every one of the women who had scheduled an abortion is able to reschedule elsewhere.” That is blatantly false. Tiller’s death camp is closed, his late-term baby-killing shoes stand empty.

To further vilify him, Mr. Cunningham enlists Mr. Roeder’s x-wife. “He is a crazy in the head!” she claims. Over half of America’s marriages end in bitter divorce; few have a kind word to say about their “X.” There is no claim before the court of insanity. In my opinion, Mr. Roeder is more rational than Mr. Cunningham!

Mr. Cunningham must agree that those who harbored slaves were justified as well as those who hid Jews from the Nazis. Why else would Mr. Cunningham display these atrocities along with pictures of abortion? Are we not justified in using deadly force to protect the lives of concentration victims and slaves? Was that not the moral pretense for our Civil War? What was the Nuremburg Trial about?

What a disgrace it is for me and Mr. Cunningham to offer such pathetically weak assistance to these children because I am selfish and fearful, or he is worried about his precious reputation! Mr. Cunningham thinks public opinion more important than the lives of these children! I admit to my lack of love toward God and man, I do not try to make virtue out of it. I do not try to justify myself by condemning those who have more love and more virtue than I. My hat is off to Mr. Scott Roeder for playing the man. Mr. Roeder sacrificed his own life so that Monday’s children might live. Mr. Cunningham wants to punish Mr. Roeder far more than the perverted laws of our land. He calls Mr. Roeder “stupid” and “insane.”

But Mr. Roeder is consistent in his thoughts, words, actions, which is something Mr. Cunningham lacks.

Should we congratulate Mr. Cunningham for making a weak, half-hearted effort toward saving blacks from lynching, or defending the victims of concentration camps? Is it appropriate to merely hold a sign and insist others do the same while people are being killed? Mr. Cunningham seems content to wait another 37 years, and waste another 50 million lives.

Mr. Cunningham is a hand-wringing pro-life extremist fretting over the death of ONE stinking abortionist. We celebrate George Tiller’s death at the Holman house! Have a glass of wine Mr. Cunningham and chill out.

Dan Holman

Missionaries to the Pre-born, Iowa

P.O. Box 135

Keokuk, Iowa 52632

(319) 601-9349

DISCLAIMER: Missionaries to the Pre-born, Iowa, and its associates does not advocate killing abortion doctors, nor do we condemn those who do it.